Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Brandt continues renaissance in Chelsea clash

Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Brandt has continued to go from strength to strength in his performances for Borussia Dortmund, with the midfielder underlining this against the club’s mid-week Champions League clash against Chelsea.

The second half of the season has been a successful spell for Borussia Dortmund in terms of results. Since the end of the winter break, Die Schwarzgelben has been one of Germany’s most in-form sides, with the Ruhr club picking up 7 straight wins in all competitions, the most recent of which being the club’s home win against Chelsea in the Champions League.

This change in fortunes for Dortmund has come down to two main factors; a healthy squad and players living up to their potential. Of the players putting together a consistent run of form, Julian Brandt has been one of the most impressive. The Borussia Dortmund and Germany midfielder was seen as quite the coup when Dortmund signed him in 2019, but the player was only able to show flickers of his quality since joining.

Brandt has become one of Dortmund’s most pivotal players this season, putting in some important performances that have really changed fans perception of the player. In season’s past, Brandt became known as a player who did not run, who gave the ball away too easily, and too often missed crucial passes that broke Dortmund’s opportunity to put opposition defenses under duress.

Brandt’s performance against Chelsea however was a strong example of how this past perception is just that; a perception that no longer reflects the player we are seeing today. Brandt was a maestro in the field, delivering passes with laser-like accuracy and constantly applying pressure on the opposition defense. His pass accuracy was an impressive 92% with the German international contributing four key passes that led to dangerous chances for his side.

He also showed a level of energy and conviction that he has been previously criticized for lacking, which could be seen particularly in Dortmund’s counter attack for the opening goal in the second half. While Adeyemi’s run and eventual goal was extremely impressive, Brandt’s tenacity to make the run along the opposite end of the pitch and make himself available should Adeyemi look for a pass was an astounding example of the shift in Brandt’s overall game.

Brandt’s link-play with his teammates is also something worth noting. Dortmund have truly begun to feed off of it, with the player becoming an integral passer of the ball for his side. This added, fresh tenacity to run and put in the energy on the pitch is also wonderful to see because it makes Brandt (an already talented player) even more dangerous on the pitch. It also underlines his commitment to his side, which is something that the club have acknowledged and seem ready to reward him for. The club seem ready to offer him a new contract, which is in sharp contrast to how the club seemingly viewed the player as recently as this past summer, when they were allegedly ready to listen to offers.

After Dortmund’s fairly recent clash with SC Freiburg, Dortmund Sporting Director Sebastian Kehl heaped praise on the player, stating that he has indeed made significant strides towards becoming an integral part of this team:

"“Julian (Brandt) has made some great strides in his development. He is much more stable, robust and present. We always knew that he was a great football player. Now he’s showing it over a sustained period of time.“"

Kehl’s praise was vindicated throughout the game against Chelsea. Stability and robustness are very visible additions to Brandt’s game. On top of making far less loose passes, he has shown a level of dedication that, as previously mentioned, was substantially lacking in seasons past.

Brandt’s performances have sparked new life into a Dortmund side that looked bereft of creativity in the first half of the season, as well as renewed the excitement that many of us felt when he initially signed. Hopefully we can continue to see the best of Brandt for the rest of the season, as well as future seasons as the club navigate the process of making sure he is a part of Dortmund’s future long-term.